and many more benefits!

Find us on Facebook

GMAT Club Timer Informer

Hi GMATClubber!

Thank you for using the timer!
We noticed you are actually not timing your practice. Click the START button first next time you use the timer.
There are many benefits to timing your practice, including:

Hide Tags

When drive-ins were at the height of their popularity in the [#permalink]

Show Tags

15 Jul 2008, 08:30

1

This post wasBOOKMARKED

00:00

A

B

C

D

E

Difficulty:

(N/A)

Question Stats:

25%(01:32) correct
75%(00:33) wrong based on 7 sessions

HideShow timer Statistics

When drive-ins were at the height of their popularity in the late 50's , some 4000 existed in the United States, but today there are less than one-quarter that manyA.B. there are fewer than one quarter as manyc. there are fewer than one quarter of that amountD.the number is less than one quarter of that amountE. it is less than one quarter of that amount

here OA is C. However we use 'less' with statistical data : eg : With a total population of less than two hundred

Show Tags

27 Apr 2011, 07:25

MamtaKrishnia wrote:

When drive-ins were at the height of their popularity in the late 50's , some 4000 existed in the United States, but today there are less than one-quarter that manyA.B. there are fewer than one quarter as manyc. there are fewer than one quarter of that amountD.the number is less than one quarter of that amountE. it is less than one quarter of that amount

here OA is C. However we use 'less' with statistical data : eg : With a total population of less than two hundred

Please explain

I dont understand the OA. In C, "one quarter of that amount" means one quarter drive-ins". How can "amount" be used for "drive-ins". I'm highly highly sceptical of the OA.
_________________

Show Tags

27 Apr 2011, 12:48

USAGE

fewer, the comparative form of few, is used with words denoting people or countable things ex:- fewer members, fewer books, fewer than ten contestants.

Less is used with mass nouns, denoting things that cannot be counted ex:- less money, less music. In addition, less is normally used with numbers ex:- less than 10,000 and with expressions of measurement or time ex-: less than two weeks, less than four miles away.

MamtaKrishnia wrote:

When drive-ins were at the height of their popularity in the late 50's , some 4000 existed in the United States, but today there are less than one-quarter that manyA.B. there are fewer than one quarter as manyc. there are fewer than one quarter of that amountD.the number is less than one quarter of that amountE. it is less than one quarter of that amount

Here you can count drive-ins. Hence fewer. A,D and E is out.Between B and C, C "that amount" is awkward and less precise.

Show Tags

29 Apr 2011, 03:47

MamtaKrishnia wrote:

When drive-ins were at the height of their popularity in the late 50's , some 4000 existed in the United States, but today there are less than one-quarter that manyA.B. there are fewer than one quarter as manyc. there are fewer than one quarter of that amountD.the number is less than one quarter of that amountE. it is less than one quarter of that amount

here OA is C. However we use 'less' with statistical data : eg : With a total population of less than two hundred

Please explain

I dont know howcome C is correct, but as per my understanding less is used for a continuous quantity and fewer is used for discrete quantity...and I am sure amount is not discrete as we never say

Please bring me 10 amount of sugar .

In traditional prescriptive grammar less is the comparative used when speaking of a continuous quantity that is not numerically quantifiable (that is, with mass nouns). Fewer, on the other hand, is used of discrete quantity and numerically quantifiable quantity (or count nouns).http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fewer_vs._less

So I think D should be correct even though we were having some quantifiable quantity (4000 existed) in the sentence.
_________________

Akhil Mittal

I have not failed. I've just found 10000 ways that won't work. Thomas A. Edison